Australian Football

Round 1

Premiership Season 2014 - Round 1 Review

Total Crowd 245,351 (Avg 27,261)

One of the truisms of the AFL is that each season is a marathon, not a sprint. In the case of the 2014 season, many could be forgiven for thinking that the first round on its own was a marathon. The season opening began on Friday, March 14th with a match between Collingwood and last year's runner up Fremantle and finally drew to a close late on Sunday, March 23rd, when the Dogs walked off Subiaco with their tails between their legs after a thrashing at the hands of a resurgent West Coast.

Those two round one "bookends" ended up being the two most one-sided contests, with Fremantle making the Magpies to look second rate as they cantered to a 70-point victory. The upshot of those results is that the two West Australian sides occupy the top two rungs of the ladder, and Collingwood is "enjoying" its first week ever in 18th place.

While none of the first-round matches was a thriller, the remaining seven matches did provide their fair share of upsets and an indication of a potential "new world order" in the league sooner rather than later, with the first four matches of the round being won by the four most recent additions to the AFL.

The "Battle of the Bridge" provided the first of those upsets - and the longest quarter-time break in VFL/AFL history - as the GWS Giants became giant-killers, coming from behind to beat a Sydney team that boasted Buddy Franklin in his first match in red and white. A huge storm, complete with torrential rain and flashes of lightning, forced the two teams into their rooms at the quarter-time break and they were not permitted to return until the lightning had subsided.

After the conclusion of that match, the action switched to Carrara, where Gold Coast gave every indication that an upward incline over its first three seasons will continue in 2014 and that a place in September is a real possibility this year. The Suns jumped Richmond early and withstood several Tiger fightbacks to record a meritorious 18-point win against last year's finalists.

The next day Port Adelaide ventured to the Docklands, determined to prove that their meteoric rise to the second week of the finals in 2013 was no flash in the pan. After a slow start, which saw Carlton dominate the first term and restrict the Power to just one scoring shot, Ken Hinkley's team did just that, careening away from the Blues with a seven-goal-to-one final quarter which saw Port win by 33 points.

At Kardinia Park on Thursday, Geelong and Adelaide played out what was arguably the best match of the round. Certainly for three quarters the game was full of highlights, including a three-goal second quarter from 250-gamer Jimmy Bartel, and at the last break the result was very much in the balance. A last quarter surge saw the Cats run out victors by 38 points in the end. Hamish McIntosh celebrated his first match since 2012, and for the Cats, with a goal and a good performance in the ruck, while ex-Cat James Podsiadly was quiet in his first match for the Crows.

One of the disappointments of the first round was North Melbourne, who succumbed meekly to an Essendon team unfazed by the ongoing controversy surrounding it. The Kangaroos had been widely tipped to be the big improvers of 2014, but they gave no such indication against the Dons. The final margin of 39 points, if anything, flattered the Roos.

Hawthorn began its premiership defence with a solid win against Brisbane at York Park, serving notice that they will again be a force to be reckoned with. The Hawks won by 48 points but the Lions would not have walked away from the game without hope. They matched Hawthorn for larger portions of the game and were within two points of the reigning premiers late in the third term.

St Kilda and Melbourne played out a low-scoring affair on Saturday night, with the Saints defying the odds and defeating Melbourne by 17 points. The Saints were able to take several positives out of the match, including the form of Dunstan in his first match, and evergreen skipper Nick Riewoldt, who took 10 marks and kicked three goals. St Kilda will regain Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna next week, who have both served out a one-match suspension. Despite the loss, Demon coach Paul Roos would have been pleased that his team was able to control the play for long periods.

West Coast's thrashing of the Dogs finally brought round one to a close in its 10th day. The Eagles would appear to be headed for a return to the top tier of the competition after a frustrating 2013, while the Dogs would have been disappointed with such a poor performance on the occasion of Bob Murphy's 250th match.

Still, this was one round of 23, and the nine vanquished clubs will have many opportunities for redemption as the season unfolds.

R-1, Ladder